The material presented on this page is intended to help you to start
thinking about what you can do today that might save your life some day.
If nothing else, our "Tip o' da Week" might just make your life a bit easier
when a disaster strikes. If we prepare, we will survive!
This is a past episode of the Emergency Preparedness "Tip
o' da Week". To see the current episode or
any past episodes, please follow this link.
Emergency Fire Starting:
A visitor submission from David Crane!
About this weeks T.O.W. submission:
The crew from TheEpicenter.com thinks this is one of the
best written visitor submissions we have received this year! The Author
has done a superb job in explaining one of the most necessary tasks we
will face in an emergency or survival situation: How to start a fire! It
sound simple, but it might just save you life! David is in no way connected
with Epicenter. We have provided graphics where appropriate, and
a few links for those who need more information.
Thanks to David Crane from Cincinnati,
OH for the tip!
"I am 35 years old. My wife and I live in the suburbs of Cincinnati
OH. I manage the technical services division of an international industrial
equipment manufacturer. My hobbies are hunting, fishing, reloading, fly-tying,
archery, climbing, rappelling, hiking, camping, gardening, competitive
rifle and pistol shooting, jogging, canoeing, mountain biking and reading.
I have a teaching degree and although my current occupation does not utilize
much of this training, I find myself constantly teaching people the skills
I have learned while pursuing my hobbies."
Emergency Fire Starting:
One of my favorite activities is ultra-ultra light
camping / hiking trips. The colder and more inclement, the better the challenge.
An example is a climbing/rappelling trip I took with a friend to the
Red River Gorge in Kentucky last January. The temperature during the day
was up to 30 degrees (F), but at night it got down to around 10. There
was 6 inches of snow on the ground. Other than the clothes on our backs
we each had a military style butt pack full of survival supplies and a
blanket. This is a true test of ones ability to improvise "survival" shelters
and we have experimented with quite a few styles, some much less successful
than others. Needless to say, in such circumstances a fire is a real comfort!
Even hot water can be a delightful drink! (unpretentious, yet with a
subtly smoky bouquet) However, few things can be more frustrating than
having your pyrotechnic skills thwarted by Mother Nature. If you have the
pack room to carry dry kindling with you in a bag all is well - generally.
But when you're going ultra-light, that is usually not an option.
I'm 35 and have been "into" survival skills since I was 12. I've spent
a few hours with a bow and drill, and a few of the other "primitive" methods,
and discovered three things.
-
First, these are not the sort of things I want to be doing while kneeling
in the forest in the dark and in the rain.
-
Secondly, if its just mildly chilly, these activities will quickly elevate
your body temperature to the point that you no longer feel the need for
an external heat source and loose all of your motivation.
-
Thirdly, these methods only work in ideal conditions or require lots and
lots of time and effort. I feel that everyone should learn the "primitive"
methods, but only so that they develop an appreciation for the ease and
convenience of more modern methods.
Here is a list of fire-starting products and tips that
I have learned. Some of these ideas are mine, but some I probably got from
miscellaneous works of "survival" literature over the years.
1. Butane Cigarette Lighter:
OK, OK, not a revolutionary break-through, but it can't be beat and I never
leave home without one. I used to wrap a rubber band around the top of
the lighter and underneath the gas valve button to keep it from discharging
in my pocket. Few things are more worthless than an empty lighter! All
lighters now have an idiot proof safety mechanism that requires adults
to seek the assistance of a child to operate!
This is a really cool product that has been on the market for a few years
now and is an item that I always carry! Its a 3" x 3/4" x 3/8" block of
magnesium that has a flint rod molded into the side of the block. It also
has a hole in it and comes set up as a key-chain. I keep mace and a police
whistle attached to mine in an outside pocket where its ready-to-hand.
To use, shave magnesium from one side (of course I don't need to tell you
to carry a knife) and collect the shavings. Then with the back of the knife
blade, "shave" the flint so that the sparks ignite the magnesium shavings.
Have your kindling handy! This heat is intense! But it doesn't last long,
so you've got to get right on it with that kindling. It helps if you pile
the shavings on something flammable.
3. Something Flammable:
You can make your own all-weather (water-proof) fire starters at almost
no cost. Cut the bottom off of a cellulose egg carton. Do not use Styrofoam
egg crates!! Whittle shavings into all the "egg pockets". Melt paraffin
or anything wax in a double boiler. Candles from second-hand stores work
great for this. Pour the melted wax into the carton until all the pockets
are filled. Ensure that all the shavings get a good coating of wax. (its
OK if the shavings stick out so long as they soak up enough was to make
them waterproof. Once the wax is cool and hard cut the pockets apart. You
now have twelve emergency fire starters. Place on something flammable so
that any melted wax that seeps out while this is burning is not wasted
on the ground. Light one with the magnesium or a lighter then pile on the
kindling. There is enough wax contained here to keep this concoction burning
for about three minutes. The shavings and cellulose sucks up the melting
wax like a candle with a really big wick. I carried the same one of these
around with me on outings for two years before I needed it, but one dark
and stormy night ...
4. Waxed Paper:
That's right, waxed paper. You've got a roll of it in the back of one of
your kitchen drawers where it was left behind by cling wrap, Tupperware,
rubber-maid, zip-lock bags and Aluminum Foil. (the capitalization denotes
the high regard with which outdoors-men should hold Aluminum Foil - don't
leave civilization without some - but I digress!) Waxed paper can be folded
up so that it takes up no space. It can be refolded and used as a cup.
There are other uses, but the point here is fire. Fold a piece of this
in half then fold back each "half" like making paper dolls. When half way
stretched out, a view of the end should look like the letter M or W. Lay
the paper down so that the two "ridges" of the letter M form a valley.
Into this valley place your magnesium shavings and/or other kindling. Set
this on fire and break out the vitals, Granny, Jethro's got an appetite
tonight!
5.
Fire Paste:
This stuff is commercially available for about four dollars. It comes in
a tube like toothpaste, but smells like Johnson's Paste Wax. It probably
tastes like it too, so don't brush your teeth in the dark! Smear Fire Paste
on a stick, roll the stick so that the paste is on the bottom, and light
the paste. Next lay the stick on top of half of your kindling. Then cover
with the rest of your kindling. The kindling on the bottom will be ignited
as the hot burning paste drips off the stick. This stuff will make even
damp wood dry out and burn.
6. Hexane & Trioxain
Tablets, & misc. other commercial fire starters.
These are all functional, and some are better than others. Compact collapsible
"stoves" are available for use with the Hex and Triox Tablets. Unless you
have a good supply of these don't try to cook with them, use them to start
a "real" fire. The stoves that are available for these are little more
than fixtures to keep the cup or pan off the tablet. One tablet will boil
a cup of water, but won't heat a meal. Here's a better idea: With a stick
or knife gouge or cut a trench about an inch wide and about two inches
longer than the diameter of the base of your cup or pan. This will be a
miniature fire pit. Light a tablet and place it in the center of the trench.
Place the item to be heated on top of the trench. By adjusting the size
of the trench and moving the cup or pan, you control the draft and thus
the burn rate of the tablet. The main problem with the stoves provided
for the tablets is that the tablet burns out of control and typically flames
shoot up well past the rim of the container being heated. This is a waste
of the little amount of fuel that you have. A tablet in a fire pit can
burn two to three times longer than one on a "stove", and can heat about
twice as much water or food. In a pinch I have snuffed out a tablet in
the trench and placed it in a plastic bag for use a second time!
7. Wood stove:
If you really want a stove to provide your heat consider one by Sierra.
My buddy got one. I berated him soundly. I told him he was getting soft.
He did have to go to a larger pack to haul it, but I must admit, if you're
going to wuss-out and go with a stove (stoves are required in areas that
do not allow open campfires) this is the one to get. It has a three speed
blower powered by an AA battery. (the same size battery as your Mini-Mag
- use that same battery size in all the gear you buy) The air is forced
through an ingenious baffle arrangement between the inner and outer walls
of the burning compartment. This preheats the air for the combustion allowing
more of the volatile gasses to be ignited. I was going to build one, but
that baffle design has me stumped and my buddy knows better than to loan
his to me. In any case, they're only about $35.00 and do not require costly
fuel or fuel bottles. Just build a fire inside using any of the above methods,
allow heat to build up for a moment or two then turn on the blower. Within
minutes you'll have a stove that will boil water in four minutes and will
digest WET fuel without hesitation.
Fuel can be anything organic - twigs, sticks, pine cones, moss, leaves,
paper, cardboard, cloth, etc. Use caution when burning pine cones, this
stove is capable of such intense heat that the pitch in the cones can explode
from the heat before the cone "burns down". Be ready for some snap, crackle,
and pop! As a "high tech" sort of person it takes a lot to impress me,
but this stove did. (or couldn't you tell)
Note.
I do not own one of these stoves YET, and I am not affiliated in any way
with the manufacturer of the Sierra stove or any of their marketing lackies
or their families. I just know a good product when I use one! I've also
seen lousy ones. I've seen guys spill their fuel bottles inside their tent
and soak their sleeping bag and clothing... But that's another story and
topic. My free-association composition style does have its limits - they're
way out there, but I have 'em!
Final Note:
It should go without saying that GOOD JUDGMENT should always be used when
starting a fire. But those type of assumptions could get you killed, and
ruin thousands of acres of "our wild America". The name of the game in
PREPAREDNESS is looking ahead and avoiding problems. Since you are reading
this one would assume that you can to this.
Look for potential problems before starting the fire.
-
Is it too windy?
-
Is it too dry out?
-
What is the ground cover (foliage) like?
-
What is the soil type?
If you haven't read an in-depth article on fire prevention, you have no
business starting a fire. If you have no experience with fires, practice
under controlled conditions before venturing into the woods.
Once on a canoe fishing trip in the Boundary Waters Region of Northern
Minnesota, a lone man canoed up to our camp site and asked if he could
get some water from us. Realizing from our stupefied looks that additional
information was required (or that we didn't speak English), he launched
into a explanation: He was the leader of a scout troop that was camped
about a quarter mile from us. All the wood at their site was wet and they
had been unable to start a fire to boil water to drink since the previous
day. Being the helpful sort of folk that we are, we did not express our
views that this inexperienced and skill-less man was an idiot if not criminally
insane for bringing a bunch of inexperienced kids thirty miles into the
wilderness by canoe. We did however, point out that the water in that area
is clean enough to be drunk straight from the lake as we and the personnel
at the outfitters did. (yeah, yeah, in spite of the Giardia threat - I
toted a water filter and never used it) We also explained and demonstrated
that birch bark "burns like gasoline", and showed him how to harvest it
without killing the trees.
Bottom line - be prepared. Equip yourself, learn how to use your equipment,
then learn how to get by without your equipment using ingenuity and your
educated brain.
If you have an idea you would like to submit for inclusion
as the Tip o 'da Week, you can now submit a tip!
We would love to have more inputs! We are more than happy to format the
page, and scan any images you would like to include. We will also do the
page layout, and give you full credit too!
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2.
Flint and Magnesium:
